The British Columbia Dragoons

The British Columbia Dragoons is an armoured regiment of the BC Army, and is a unit of the Royal British Columbia Armoured Corps.

Some ranks in the BC Dragoons are different from those in other Army units. Specifically, in the Dragoons a Private is called a Trooper (Tpr).

History
The British Columbia Dragoons trace their origins to the formation of the British Columbia Mounted Rifles, two independent squadrons of horse in Kamloops and Vernon in 1908, and in 1910 two additional squadrons were raised and the regiment was renamed the British Columbia Horse.

The regiment was mobilised for the First World War, and Captain John MacGregor was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions taken in the battle at Cambrai on September 29, 1918. The actions and awards of the British Columbia Horse are perpetuated today by the British Columbia Dragoons, their direct descendants. The regiment was renamed The British Columbia Mounted Rifles in 1920, and finally to the current name, The British Columbia Dragoons, in 1929. The unit was mechanised in 1937 and in 1941 became part of the Royal BC Armoured Corps.

During the Second World War the BC Dragoons was comprised of two tank and one light reconnaissance battalions, but after the 1959 rationalisation, which specified that each regiment of the BC Army would be made up of one active force and one Militia (reserve) battalions, 1st Battalion, as the active force component, remained a tank unit, and 3rd Battalion, which became the Militia component of the unit, remained a recce unit, whereas 2nd Battalion, which had been the other tank unit, was reduced to nil strength.

Battle Honours

 * First World War: Mount Sorrel, Somme, 1916; Flers-Courcelette; Ancre Heights; Arras, 1917, '18; Vimy, 1917; Hill 70; Ypres, 1917; Passchendaele; Amiens; Scarpe, 1918; Hindenburg Line; Canal du Nord; Cambrai, 1918; Pursuit to Mons; France and Flanders, 1915-18.
 * Second World War: World War Two: Liri Valley; Melfa Crossing; Gothic Line; Pozzo Alto Ridge; Lamone Crossing; Naviglio Canal; Fosso Munio; Conventello-Comacchio; Italy, 1944–1945; IJsselmeer; Delfzijl Pocket; North-West Europe, 1945.

Equipment

 * Renault R35 light infantry tank (1937-1942)
 * Tetrarch Mk. VII light tank (1938-1943)
 * M4A1 Sherman medium tank (1942-1945)
 * Crusader III cruiser tank (1942-1948)
 * Daimler Mk. I armoured car (1942-1961)
 * M4A3E8 Sherman medium tank (1943-1945)
 * Humber Mk. III armoured car (1948-1964)
 * Centurion main battle tank (1948-1969)
 * Kiidaw-R armoured car (1959-1980)
 * Chieftain Mk. II main battle tank (1969-1976)
 * Chieftain Mk. II A main battle tank (1976-1981) - first upgrade, adding Thermal Observation & Gunnery Sight and other minor improvements
 * VBR armoured car (1980 to date)
 * Chieftain Mk. II B main battle tank (1981-1988) - second upgrade, adding Stillbrew armour
 * Tyee Mk. I main battle tank (1988-2010) - rebuilt and modernised Chieftain II B
 * Iitl'akdáa main battle tank (2010 to date) - Indian-made Arjun MBT

Regimental Alliances

 * India 9th Horse (The Deccan Horse)
 * New Zealand Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
 * United Kingdom Royal Dragoon Guards